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! UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. * 



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AN 

ADDRESS 

DELIVERED BEFORE THE MEMBERS 
OF THE 

ANACOSTIA LYCEUM, 

AND 

VISITERS, 

"UPON THK NATURE AND OBJECTS OF THAT SOCIETY;" 

ON THE 

Kveniiig of tlie 6tU January^ 1835. 

BY 

THE PRESIDENT OF THAT INSTITUTION., 



He that, with well selected books, can blend 
The varied converse of a polish'd friend. 
Delighted drinks of rich and deep supplies, 
Tliat from th' o'erflowing springs of knowledge rise. 

C. . U; 



1 " 



\7 



WASHINGTON CITY: 

PRINTED BY DUFF GREEN. 
1835. 






Washikgtost, December 13, 1834. 
" Resolved, That the President of the Anacostia Lyceum be, and he is 
hereby requested to deliver an address upon the nature and objects of 
this society, on such evening- of the regular meetings of the society as may 
suit his convenience, and that the public be invited to attend." 

Sih: I have the satisfaction of communicating- to you the foregoing re- 
solution, unanimously adopted at a meeting of the members of the Ana- 
costia Lyceum. Most respectfully, yours, 

J. L. CLUBB, Secretary Jl. L. 
To CLBMETiTT T. CooTE, President Anacostia Lyceum. 



Washington-, December 15, 1834. 
Deae Sir: Your favor of 13th instant duly reached my hands, and, 
although I regret the society did not make a more suitable choice, it will 
afford me pleasure to attempt the fulfilment of their request, upon as 
early a day as may comport with my other engagements. 
I am, dear sir, yours obediently, 

CLEMENT T. COOTE. 
To J. Lewis Ceubb, Esq., Secretary A. L. 



Washington, January 7, 1835. 

Sir: In compliance with a resolution passed by the Anacostia Lyceum 
last evening, I would respectfully request a copy of the address delivered 
by you upon the nature and objects of the institution, for the purpose of 
publication. Yours, respectfully, 

P. M. PEARSON, 1st Vice President. 
To CiEMENT T. CooTE, Esq., President Jl. L. 



Washington, January 12, 1835, 
Sir: At the request of the members of the Anacostia Lyceum, I here- 
with transmit to you a copy of the address which they desire, with a sin- 
cere wish that a thirst for knowledge may be generally excited, especially 
in the minds of young persons, and that the public attention may be use- 
fully directed to the objects of that institution. 

I am, sir, yours truly, 

CLEMENT T. COOTE. 
To P. M. Peakson, Esq., \st Vice President A. L. 



^ 



"^^7>5/A 






ADbRESS: &c. 



At the unanimous request of the members of the "Anacostia 
Lyceum," who, by an expression flattering to my feelings, 
have been pleased to call me, for a season, to preside orer that 
institution, I appear before you upon this occasion. In at- 
tempting to discharge the duty imposed upon me, which cir- 
cumstance is to be ascribed to the partiality and kindness of 
feeling on the part of my friends, rather than to their delibe- 
rate judgment, I am fully sensible that, to cover the imperfec- 
tions of omission and of commission which will disclose them- 
selves in the present address, will require the broad and ex- 
panding mantle even of their liberality to be greatly extended. 

Upon reflecting that the most capacious understandings and 
the highest cultivated minds have been directed, not only to 
the accumulation of knowledge, but also to its difi'usion, and 
to impress the importance of its acquisition, by every argu- 
ment their wisdom could suggest, and by every fascination 
which their imagination or their genius could supply, my 
mind shrinks from the undertaking, consciously unequal to 
the task. But, under the consideration that the members of 
this association were united together upon a tacit acknowledg- 
ment, at least, of their own deficiences — of the importance of 
knowledge, and showing thereby a sincere desire to acquire 
it, have presented to me an encouragement to submit, upon 
this occasion, some inducements for them to persevere in the 
course they have chosen for its general diffusion. I wish also 
to infuse the same spirit of inquiry in the minds of others who 
have not seen its importance, or may not hitherto have desired 
the advantage and satisfaction of its more extensive enjoy- 
ment. By experience we not only learn wisdom, but we are 
also taught our ignorance. 



Man, as a creature, is pre-eminently distinguished by his 
Creator from all other organized beings upon this mundane 
sphere, by the peculiar and harmonious combination of his 
form, in which are united strength and beauty, grace and dig- 
nity; and also by his upright and absolute station. By the 
latter, he is able, at once, to look upon the earth from whence 
he sprang, obedient to the all-creating voice, and from which 
silent, but perfect laboratory, his physical wants are all sup- 
plied; and also to gaze upon the heavens above, where the 
Infinite Intelligence, the eternal fountain of his intelligence 
resides. To that uncreated, all-pervading energy, it is the 
peculiar privilege and glory of his rational faculties, when di- 
rected aright, to aspire; their original and their ovUj perfect 
and happy destination. 

Thus formed, and thus distinguishingly honored stood our 
great progenitor, when he was promptly required to exer- 
cise his heaven-inspired knowledge, and his heaven-taught 
language; for, at the bidding of the Almighty maker, the 
lower orders of being, "the cattle, and the fowls of the air, 
and the beasts of the field, were summoned to pass before 
"their heaven-crowned king;" not merely as indicative of 
their submission to his divine right to rule them, but that he 
should confer upon each, after their kind, a characteristic 
name, by which they should be thereafter distinguished. God 
anticipated a sanction of the propriety of the names which 
would be conferred, by the declaration, "whatsoever Adam 
shall call them, that shall be the name thereof." Hence, we 
clearly perceive that the spirit of God not only endowed man 
with understanding, knowledge, and judgment to appreciate 
the wisdom of the works of his hand, but that he also gave 
him a language, by which he should communicate that know- 
ledge, and^ the ideas associated therewith, to his posterity. 
Plato maintains, and the Egyptians had the same opinion, that 
the original language of man was of divine formation; and 
when he divided words into two classes, the primitive 



and the derivative, he attributed the latter to the ingenuity of 
man, and the former to the communication of the Supreme 
Being. 

The works of all-creating wisdom, power, and goodness, 
were therefore the first objects upon which the reason of the 
first man was directed, hy his Maker, to exercise itself; and 
although these works are yet but little understood, they are 
still daily published resplendently in every language; they 
are still seen, and 'partially read, with admiration and 
wonder in every land. Six thousand years have nearly 
elapsed since, in characters of light, the first impression was 
given upon the globe which we inhabit; and every method 
which the most expanded and scrutinizing human intelli- 
gences could devise has since been resorted to, to analyze their 
component parts, and display the causes of their peculiar con- 
formation, yet their ejQTorts have scarcely proceeded farther 
than the title page, upon which is indelibly inscribed " The: 
works of God." 

These perfect productions of the Supreme Being are there- 
fore still presented for the use, and are open to the investigation 
of man, in their pristine forms of unsullied beauty. Although 
there are none of us weak enough to suppose that we shall 
proceed farther in discovering the secret processes of the 
Almighty "in these his lower works," even when aided by 
the recorded experiments of other days, yet there is this pe- 
culiar and practical advantage which will result from such an 
efibrt: we shall, at every successive step, bring to our assist- 
ance some accession to our stock of knowledge, which will 
tend to our individual satisfaction, and may result in benefit 
to the community. The highest acquisitions to which the 
mind can aspire are to obtain some knowledge of the works of 
its Creator, an extensive acquaintance with which surrounds 
and contains almost every ennobling variety of human attain- 
ment; while such knowledge, even in a very limited degree, 
of the causes which, in the economy of nature, produce such 



6 



a perpetual and ever varying scene of perfection, must tend to 
elevate the soul, and dignify the character of man. 

To the labors of some of the sages of antiquity, but more 
especially to the researches of philosophy and the advance- 
ment of scientific knowledge during the last century, now so 
cheaply and so extensively spread as they are by the art of 
printing, we are mainly indebted for the facilities which are 
given us, by the order and classification v^^hich prevail in every 
department of natural and experimental philosophy, every 
branch of the fine arts, the sciences, and general literature. 

We must stand without excuse, therefore, if we neglect the 
acquisition of knowledge, and remain entirely ignorant of the 
elements of matter, and of some of the causes which produce 
the infinitude of blessings that are perpetually resulting from 
their varied and endless combinations and modifications, which 
are inviting our attention on every hand. Such knowledge will 
not^pufi" up the mind with a vain conceit of its superior intelli- 
gence, but will rather produce humility, from a sense of our 
comparative ignorance; and will have a tendency to inspire a 
manly dignity, a modest carriage, and a conciliatory deportment 
A mind so disposed will find the works of the Creator inces- 
santly opening to his inquiries certain qualities and properties 
which before lay concealed from his view. To acquire this in- 
teresting knowledge, however, demands industrious applica- 
tion. An enlightened understanding is a mind stored with just 
ideas, collected as a bee gathereth honey, ranging from flower 
to flower; a large variety of these ideas are necessary to con- 
stitute proper and extensive views of a subject; and the more 
we reflect upon the present state of society, the various facul- 
ties of the human mind, and the incalculable advantages which 
will result from acquiring an ample fund of valuable ideas, the 
more we shall be convinced of the utility of being engaged in 
the pursuit of knowledge, as far as practicable, consistent with 
our particular callings and situations in life. 



By this course only can we be qualified to blend manly and 
serious topics, having a reference to the laorks of nature^ 
science, and art, and the affairs of human life, with the sallies 
of light and gay conversation. 

It will be found, also, that the more ideas we acquire in 
common, the sooner are our preconceived prejudices remov- 
ed, and the greater congeniality of opinion will prevail; we 
shall rise higher in the esteem of each other, and the plea- 
sures of social intercourse will ripen into sentiments of re- 
gard and friendship. In the association of persons where ** the 
feast of reason and the flow of soul " prevail, those individu- 
als who unite a knowledge of the world with a store of gene- 
ral ideas and rational principles, which well chosen books and 
frequent communication with persons of intelligence can sup- 
ply, will render themselves the most acceptable to their asso- 
ciates, and the most valuable companions. 

It has been said by a wise and philosophic observer of 
mankind, that "a man always makes himself greater as he 
increases in knowledge; that there is nothing so minute but 
that he would rather know it than not, in the same manner 
that all power, of whatever sort, is desirable; that a desire of 
knowledge is natural to mankind; and that every human being 
in a right mind will be willing to give all that he has to ob- 
tain knowledge." 

It is a matter of curious interest to observe how a dis- 
covery, or an extension of any particular stream of know- 
ledge, opens the course for the increase of other currents of 
knowledge immediately or remotely connected therewith. 

The geographer, having demonstrated the form and extent 
of the globe which we inhabit, sketches certain regular, but 
imaginary lines upon the surface of the model of its minia- 
ture representative, by which he divides it into latitudes and 
longitudes; classing certain portions of such divisions into 
zones and climates, he defines with precision the various 
parts which are habitable, adding discoveries as they are made 



8 



by the bold navigator, from time to time, and their relative 
distances from each other, denominating them continents, 
islands, &c. : uniting the science of cosmography, he demon- 
strates the causes of the interesting succession of light and 
darkness, and the variety and regularity of the seasons. 

The botanist succeeds the geographer, and by his peculiar 
skill, and the lucid method of class, order, genera, and spe- 
cies, which he has adopted to divide the vegetable kingdom, 
he discloses that, in all the variegated arrangement, there is 
a peculiar adaptation in the productions of nature to the ne- 
cessities of man and other animals, in that climate especially 
to which they are indigenuous. By his knowledge, upon the 
examination of any object within the range of his science, he 
can inform you of its useful or injurious properties; in what 
part of the plant they each reside — the root, the stem, the 
leaves, or the fruit; designating the portion which is valuable 
as subsistence for man, and in what part is contained its medi- 
cinal virtue, or other qualities which may be destructive of 
animal life. His knowledge extends also to the character of the 
soil and the climate which produces each variety in its greatest 
perfection. How important and valuable is the practical detail 
of such knowledge to the agriculturist, the horticulturist, and 
the florist! In the latter class, although they may appear to 
us not so useful, variety and beauty have played their finest 
freaks, and it is to this class I should like more especially to 
direct the attenion of the ladies; the nursing and cultivation of 
so lovely a family, is a task most interestingly adapted to their 
assiduous care. A poet, whose garden was his inspiration 
and his theme, and who with peculiar propriety could compli- 
ment and make his call upon the fair, having completed so 
beautiful and so various a " Task" at their solicitation, has said, 
in commendation of such a charge, 

" Oh! give a poet leave to recommend, 

A poet fond of nature, and your friend, 

Her beauteous works to cultivate and view: 

Her works must needs excel — who fashioned you. 



The skilful botanist not only produces each plant and 
flower in the greatest perfection, but in almost every class he 
increases their varieties, changes their fragrance, and multi- 
plies their beauties, even beyond the boast of the creative 
powers of fancy. What an endless and interesting variety is 
contained in a knowledge of this science! How valuable in 
its application! How closely connected with the well-being, 
and how conducive to the pleasures, conveniences, and al- 
most essential to the subsistence of man! 

In a national view, the pursuits of agriculture, and every 
mode of rendering the earth productive, are superior to com- 
merce, as a source of good and permanent power; for the 
population, and also the commerce of a country, are laecessa- 
rily limited by the subsistence and other productions which 
the earth yields by proper scientific cultivation» 

The Historian of Animated Nature enters upon the same 
divisions in that interesting branch of knowledge, and pro- 
ceeds, as the zoologist, the ornothologist, the entimologist, 
&c. , to show the class, the genus, and the species, into 
which all organized beings are subdivided, with the detailed 
characteristics of form, habits, and instincts, and the manner 
in which they are rendered subservient to the purposes of 
their creation, and to the interests, conveniences, or luxuries 
of man; displaying also the wisdom of providence in their 
adaptation to human wants, in the climate where each species 
most abounds. 

The mineralogist and metallurgist next succeed in this 
course, but they descend generally below the surface of the 
soil. They apply their tests, and scrutinize with care; clas- 
sify the various productions of the interior of the world, and 
assign each in their cabinet to its proper department. The 
chemist assays a part of these discoveries to ascertain their me- 
dical properties; and the artizan applies the metallic substances 
to the ornamental or useful purposes to which they each may 
2 



be more especially adapted. Without this knowledge, the 
most precious as well as the most useful metals would have 
slumbered in their obscurity; and man would have been de- 
prived of the value of their application to all the purposes of 
the useful arts, the sciences, every practical branch of know- 
ledge, and all the conveniences and elegancies of life. 

The chemist, b)^ his knowledge, is enabled practically to 
ascertain in some degree the effects produced by the various 
combinations of matter; its composition, decomposition, and 
recomposition; the orders, classes, and affinities into which 
they are divided, in order to analyze the various animal, vege- 
table, and mineral substances submitted to the separating and 
resolving tests of his examination, by which he produces re- 
sults which expand his own sphere of knowledge, makes dis- 
coveries that are invaluable, discovers that which is invalua- 
ble to the community, in their various and endless appli- 
cation to the sciences, and to the purposes of domestic eco- 
nomy. . He also tortures every production of nature to ob- 
tain their medicinal virtues, in order to alleviate or stop 
the ravages of disease. But how little we yet know of the 
grand chemical laboratory of nature., which is silently and 
unceasingly proceeding throughout all the families of ani- 
mated beings, and all the tribes of inanimated nature, 
that, by the invariable laws of affinities, composition and 
assimilation, are disclosing themselves only in their effects, 
by sustaining a world of life, and spreading over the earth 
a robe of h\{hi^cendent variety and beauty, and unfolding 
scenes of unparrJleled and never ceasing wonders. 

T^he philosophic traveller proceeds, in his turn, and exa- 
mines the manners, customs, policy, laws, religion, social con- 
dition, political and domestic economy, form of government, 
arts, agriculture and manufactures, and whatever may tend to 
designate the rank which the inhaitants of any portion of the 
world are entitled to hold in the scale of knowledge and 
refinement, and the station they occupy in the relative rank of 
the social and polished existence of nations. 



1! 



The mathematician, in the puFe and mixed branches of his 
knowledge, but more especially in the extension of his pow- 
ers, as applied to astronomical investigation and discoveries, 
opens, to the aspiring mind, an infinite expanse of never- 
failing interest; the nature, number, and extent of the planet- 
ary system, wl ich astonish beyond measure. In the mighty 
system of the universe, we, in the placeour planet occupies in 
the solar system, can only glance at those worlds upon worlds, 
those systems upon systems, which are scattered through 
infinite space; we are compelled to acknowledge how little 
we know of the works of the Omnipotent Architect of the 
universe. The astronomer demonstrates, by the knowledge 
he opens to our minds, that, in all the mighty plans, as well 
as in the minute objects subjected to our examination, the 
same wondrous order, regularity, and system prevail, un- 
derangeable by any human effort; that not only the sun 
knows '* the time of his rising," and the " moon and stars 
their courses," but the precise periods when their light, to a 
portion of our planet, shall be intercepted by the transit of 
some interposing body, which is only pursuing the path pre- 
determined by its Maker, when it was first commanded into 
its orbit. Comets, also, which only approach the range of 
the telescopic eye at longer intervals, and to our apprehension 
perhaps at uncertain periods, are but performing their ama- 
zing revolutions agreeably to the purpose of his unerring 
will who first projected them in their spheres; who still guides 
them with infinite precision by his own laws of motion, 
which we denominate gravitation, projection, and the centri- 
petal and centrifugal impulses and attraptions, leaving no visi- 
ble track in their path through the boundless infinitude of 
space. 

" Lo ! these are part of his ways, but how small a portion is known of Hra." 

I have recurred only to a few of the numerous divisions of 
knowledge into which the ingenuity of man has classed the 



12 



works of his Maker; and have adverted briefly to the advan- 
tages which have resulted, and which will continue to result, 
to the social relations of man, by a general acquisition of 
such knowledge. The animal, vegetable, mineral, and fos- 
sil kingdoms still contain regions] never yet inspected by 
the hallowed eye of philosophic scrutiny. Astronomy and 
natural history are mediums by which our knowledge of the 
Creator is greatly enlarged; but the astronomer often lays 
aside his telescope, and the natural historian his microscope, 
in astonishment and adoration. 

Upon this occasion it would perhaps be improper to detain 
your attention to other inducements which would present 
themselves, by pursuing further the importance of the know- 
ledge to be obtained by searching the works of nature: they 
invite your diligence, industry, and perseverance, and will 
richly repay your toils. The indolent will never attempt 
such investigations, and will remain ignorant of the value of 
their own powers; but the mind that directs its efforts to the 
hill of knowledge will find, as he ascends, the prospect around 
him increase in interest and beauty: like a persevering tra- 
veller, who is advancing to the summit of a lofty mountain, 
the pressure of the atmosphere will be found to diminish as 
he rises; he will see those beneath him in the valley surround- 
ed by ignis fatuus and fogs, while he is cheered with a 
bright and boundless horizon, and enjoys the increasing ra- 
diance of increasing knowledge. 

There are other considerations, and some which, to Ameri- 
can citizens, will present powerful inducements for the acqui- 
sition of knowledge. 

What was the principle which raised the celebrated nations 
of other times to such a pitch of honor, dominion, and renown? 
Was it not a system of laws wisely adapted to the genius of 
the people, and persisted in, without deviation from the ori- 
ginal principles of each respective constitution? Was it not 
the peculiar spirit of their wise establishments? (And wisdom 



13 



is but the proper application of large acquisitions of know- 
ledge.) This knowledge inspired their minds with no- 
ble sentiments, and directed their conduct through successive 
generations. 

This spirit reigned among the Persians, the brave and vir- 
tuous companions of the elder Cyrusj and the same spirit 
imparted its influence to the Greeks and Romans of the pu- 
rest times. I may confidently ask, is it not the same or 
rather a superior spirit which has raised America to the 
eminence which she has attained among modern nations? 

Has it not fostered the valor of her heroes, the wisdom 
of her philosophers, the sagacity of her statesmen; and will 
it not foster the ingenuity of her artists? Has it not prompted 
her sons to such " deeds of noble daring" as have cast a 
halo oi glory around their names, which no clouds of envy 
can obscure, no power of oblivion can ever extinguish? Let 
this indispensable and invaluable truth be indelibly impress- 
ed upon our minds, and instilled into the minds of succeeding 
generations, that the honor of the American character — the 
stability of American institutions, must depend upon religion, 
virtue, and an extensive diffusion of knowledge as their 
best, their only support. Every patriotic citizen will, therefore, 
be anxious, by every expedient in his power, to increase and 
deepen the channels which may convey the most interesting 
and comprehensive mode of acquiring and increasing know- 
ledge, as the only permanent basis of the general prosperity 
and the glory of his country. 

If the truly noble distinctions which knowledge confers are 
desirable, cultivate the acquaintance of the intelligent, accom- 
plished, and well disposed; disregard the solicitations of the 
idle, and resist the allurements of the dissipated; meditate 
frequently upon the actions, and drink copiously of the 
streams of knowledge which flow in ihe works of departed 
genius, " and hold high converse with the mighty dead." 
These habits will strengthen proper resolutions, animate and 



14 



inspire new ardor, and increase alacrity in the cultivation of 
every moral and intellectual excellence. 

Upon surveying the world, we find nothing great or laud- 
^ able, nothing splendid or permanent can be effected without 
diligence and exertion. The acquirements of learning, and 
the monuments of glory are to be referred alone to their 
animating influence. We should never be wearied in using 
the means by which the mind may be directed in the acqui- 
sition of knowledge. 

If we turn to the history of our own country, we shall find 
characters illustrious for their wisdom, their science, and their 
valor; for their successful experiments in philosophy, their 
researches in natural history, and for their power of elo« 
quence; they were men favored by nature with masculine 
understandings, which they cultivated, and produced ripe 
and profound judgments. They were remarkable, also, for 
plainness and simplicity of manners; honoring worth, and 
raising merit from the lowest station. Need I cite before 
your minds him Vf\\o was first in the camp, first in council, 
first in the afiection of his country; and Vt^hose character will, 
in the pages of the future historian, shine the brightest exam- 
plar of true greatness that will be recorded in the annals of 
mankind ? 

Gaze upon the illustrious names which adorn the declara- 
tion of the rights of our country, and the rights of man. In 
diplomacy, in natural and experimental philosophy, hail the 
genius and wisdom of Franklin; in the higher branches of 
mathematics and astronomy, gaze at the deep and exploring 
mind of Rittenhouse; in practical mechanics, Fulton; in the 
various departments of natural history, view the interesting 
and scientific labors of Goodman, of Wilson, and of Say; in 
oratory, lookat the powers of Adams, of Henry, of Wirt, and 
a host beside; while Clay, Webster, Everett, and others are 
still taking the heart captive in the fascinating charms of their 
eloquence. In every department of literature we are enabled 



15 

to look with patriotic pleasure upon the names of individuals 
who have exalted the honor of oUf country — stars of the first 
magnitude in the galaxy of knowledge, and whom the best in- 
telligence of other lands have delighted to honor. What more 
can be desired to fill the measure of our ambition, but that a 
succession of such men should multiply in every succeeding 
age, to sustain, untarnished, the glory of their country, in 
every thing great in arts and arms, and in every variety of 
human knowledge! 

I am fully aware that a library, embracing standard as well 
as more modern works in the comprehensive branches of use- 
ful, scientific, and ornamental knowledge, to which I have 
only partially adverted, would be utterly beyond the means 
of persons in the middle stations of life. The members of 
thfe " Anacostia Lyceum,'^ who are under the same impres- 
sion, but who have a desire to remove so great an impediment 
to the extension of the means of the increase of knowledge, 
have associated themselves together for the purpose of found- 
ing an institution, in which there shall be gradually formed 
a library, which shall be composed of valuable standard works 
in every department of useful and ornamental knowledge; 
also of modern works, having a reference to new discoveries 
in science, improvements in the arts, in history, biography, 
travels, voyages, poetry, general and polite literatui'e; and 
also to receive, regularly, some of the ablest conducted and 
most interesting periodicals of the present day, that they may 
have access to a perpetual stream of intelligence, adequate to 
assuage their thirst of knowledge, at least so far as to keep 
pace wiih the growing intelligence of the age. 

This primary and most important feature in their arrange- 
ment is now in the charge of a committee, denominated " the 
Library Committee," of which the librarian is, ex-officio, a 
member. That committee has been already appointed for the 
present year, which will expire upon the anniversary of the 
institution, the 22d day of February next, at which period an 



16 



appointment will be again made, and annually thereafter. 
The works which are intended to be introduced into the libra- 
ry of the Lyceum will be in the English language. It would 
be superfluous to have recourse to (^argument in favor of such 
' an arrangement, upon this occasion, as that language has so 
long been, and will for ever remain (for it is now spoken by 
nearly one-ninth part of the inhabitants of the world) the ve- 
hicle of productions most eminently distinguished for genius, 
taste, learning, and science. 

**If we open the volumes of divines, philosophers, histo- 
rians, or artists, we find terms employed to communicate with 
precision the ideas they intended to convey, and to express 
their views on any subject completely. It is distinguished by 
its energy and its copiousness. In the works of Shakespeare, 
Spencer, Milton, Dryden, and Pope, it is evident they employ 
a phraseology which may be called the language of the Muses. 
The genius of the English language enables the poet, by figures 
of speech^ to give to inanimate objects the most beautifbl per- 
sonification, and to produce the most striking effect. In the 
details of the historian, the arguments of the politician and the 
divine, the speculations of the philosopher, and the invention 
of the epic, tragic, and lyric poet, the English is without a 
rival in any living language." 

The secondary feature of the arrangement made by the 
members of this institution, has been to set apart one evening 
in every week for a meeting of the society, upon which occa- 
sion the discussion of some question of general interest, which 
shall have been chosen at the previous meeting, takes place, 
as a medium, in accordance with their views, of diffusing 
knowledge; but the subject of debate is not permitted to inter- 
fere with the politics of party, or with the peculiarities of 
religious creeds or opinions. Every member has an opportu- 
nity of contributing to the stock of questions to be discussed, 
out of which stock the moderator who may have been appoint- 
ed to preside at the next meeting selects two, and, by vote, 



17 



the society decides which of them shall be the subject for dis- 
cussion at the next meeting. 

The subscription entitling a member to the privilege both 
of attending the weekly meetings under the regulations of the 
society and participating in the debates, is twenty-five cents 
per month, payable monthly. The society have adopted a 
constitution and by-laws for its government,, and the niembers 
will be happy to receive additions to their number, being now 
about thirty, of such persons who feel the importance and see 
the advantages which may result from such a local institution, 
remote from the facilities and support which are given to such 
associations in the more densely populated parts of this city. 
Applications for that purpose can be made at the close of the 
present meeting, or be communicated through the medium of 
the members of the society, who are known generally in this 
section of the city. Donations of any interesting works from 
persons who are friendly to the objects contemplated will be 
peculiarly acceptable, through the hands of any member; and 
a record of such countenance and liberality will be duly made 
upon the journal of *' the Anacostia Lyceum." 

Among other advantages which the present enjoys over any 
former age, are certainly to be reckoned the establishment of 
public libraries, public lectures, and debating societies. It 
may be fairly, and I think justly attributed to these advantages 
by which knowledge has been so rapidly and so extensively 
spread, that so many important improvements in almost every 
useful art and science have taken place in our times. The 
methods adopted in other countries for this important object, 
the spread of knowledge, may not perhaps be generally 
known, but they show the estimation in which a general 
diffusion of knoiuledge is held, and the methods used for its 
acquisition, which are not dissimilar to our own. I will brief!}' 
state them and their effects, as they may invite others to unite 
with us in promoting so great a good 
3 



18 



In the city of Glasgow, in Scotland, where the system of 
public libraries and public lectures were first introduced, it is 
found that, instead of mechanics and journeymen weavers 
meeting their fellow workmen in clubs and taverns, and there 
spending their time and their earnings in intoxication and riot, 
they now, at the conclusion of the labors of the week, return 
home to their families, change their clothing, and go respect- 
ably dressed to the public lecture room, to which the subscrip- 
tion is about three-pence per week, or six cents, and they are 
there instructed, by a well digested discourse, upon some useful 
branch of art or science. The effect produced by this course 
has been, that within a few years the great body of the weavers 
and mechanics in that place have become well informed men, 
often wiser than their employers. 

Another, and somewhat better mode has obtained in Eng- 
land. "The Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge," at 
the head of which is the late Lord Chancellor Brougham, com- 
mission lecturers to travel through the kingdom with well 
selected locomotive libraries, which are conveyed in vehicles 
adapted to the purpose, for cheap distribution. The person in 
charge of the establishment gives public lectures in country 
towns and villages on the subject of the useful arts and sci- 
ences. By these methods the benefits of knowledge are 
greatly extended, and the advantages resulting to the society 
are incalculable; a taste for the acquisition, both by reading 
and hearing, is extensively and cheaply difiused, the beneficial 
efiects of which are/e/^ and seen on every hand. 

Our wise and patriotic Franklin saw and appreciated the 
advantages which would result to a community from a public 
library, as one of the best means of directing the public taste 
and of diffusing knowledge. Hence the foundation of the 
Philadelphia Librarj' is to be ascribed to him. 

The advantages of debating societies, when well conduct- 
ed, are obvious. They have the double effect of eliciting and 
communicating knowledge. To young persons especially they 



19 



are peculiarly advantageous; for no one can know his mental 
powers until he can compare them with others. Those pow- 
ers, like the physical powers of the body, are strengthened 
and greatly improved by exercise. There is perhaps nothing 
so well calculated to check presumption and over-confidence 
in our opinions, as by comparing them candidly and fairly, 
which an ingenuous mind will do, with the thoughts and opi- 
nions of others. 

Language, by which the Creator has distinguished our race, 
as well as by reason, from other creatures^ is designed as the 
vehicle by which our ideas are to be conveyed from mind to 
mind: he who reads, therefore, merely to collect ideas in his 
own brains, and bottles up his thoughts from his associates, 
deprives them of one important medium of knowledge, and 
robs himself of more than one half the rewards of his labor. 
But where an association of individuals introduce their acqui- 
sitions of new ideas in colloquial discourse, they each give to 
others, and receive from others the benefit of their collective 
acquirements. 

" Hast thou nofnend to set thy mind abroach ? 
Good sense will stagnate: thoughts shut up want air, 
And spoil, like bales unopened to the sun. 
Had thought been all, sweet speech had been denied. 
Speech! ventilates our intellectual fire; 
Speech! burnishes our mental magazine, 
Brightens for ornament, or whets for use. 
Teaching, we learn; and giving, we retain 
The births of intellect; when dumb, forgot." 

It appears desirable, however, to consider language of more 
importance than the mere medium of communicating our 
ideas on ordinary occasions; for it is capable of ornament to 
delight, of energy to persuade, and of transfusing o ur opi- 
nions and views into, and thereby controlling and directing, 
in a measure, other minds. Such cultivation appears of benefit 
to society, and ought to receive from us its proper share of 
attention. Such a choice of language in debate would appear 



20 



desirable as would clothe the opinions which are advanced in 
a dress, if not in elegant and dignified, at least in perspicuous 
and lucid language; thereby commanding the greater attention 
to the views presented, and yielding increased satisfaction to 
our associates and friends. 

As individuals have not always that part of an argument 
assigned to " them in debate which corresponds with their 
views of the question under discussion, but are called upon 
to sustain opinions which they do not entertain, it would, 
under such circumstances, be proper and honorable to avoid 
all argumentative subtilty; and, the object being the elucida- 
dation of truth, to proceed no further in opposition to the 
rational and correct view of the subject than to elicit all the 
arguments that can he introduced to sustain the truth. A 
manly exercise of the rational powers will thus, on all 
occasions, characterize debate; and a right direction given to 
them in controlling the visionary flights of fancy, when used 
only to sustain sophistical reasoning, which, at best, could 
only attain the unenviable distinction of triumphant vanity. 

The variety of subjects which will doubtless be introduced 
for discussion, and the variety of books to which, it is hoped, 
access will be given in this institution, will tend to stimulate 
assiduity, and give active employment to every faculty of the 
mind, at every convenient opportunity. They will engage , 
the memory, the imagination, and the judgment; prove pro-l 
fitable exercises for its members, who, being associated for 
purposes of mutual interest, like the genial rain, though 
descending in drops only, they will unite and form a noble 
and clear stream, deepening and expanding the channel of 
valuable knowledge. ^; 

Ye ladies, if I should neglect your cause, 
1 should deserve to forfeit your applause. 

To you, therefore, I would now desire to direct an appeal for 
your countenance of the objects contemplated by this institu- 
tion : — that you discourage every approach for your favors 



21 

which may be made by the vain and the ignorant — those 
who evince by the trifling character of their conversation 
that their minds are a rude and uncultivated soil, where no 
valuable branch of knowledge has ever taken root, and from 
whence no fruit grateful to the taste of a cultivated mind 
can ever be gathered. You have a much deeper personal 
interest in this matter than you, perhaps, at present perceive. 
In what condition of society are your talents best appreciated? 
Are you not gifted, and by nature designed to be the intel- 
lectual companions of intellectual beings? In every de- 
partment of literature, science, and general knowledge, your 
sex have clearly demonstrated an intellectual equality. 

Suffer not, then, ihe frothy and frivolous of the other sex 
to lower you to their degrading standard of intellectual 
imbecility. Permit none but those who have cultivated 
minds, and who possess enlightened and liberal principles, 
lo obtain your friendship. Your present ascendancy in 
society can only be retained by a determination on your 
part not to permit those who may become your companions 
for life, to descend in the scale of intelligence; and to en- 
courage by your approbation those only who evince a deter- 
mination on their part to acquire such an extent of useful 
and entertaining knowledge, as to become intelligent and 
interesting companions, and ivorthy of your esjjecial regard. 

Reason, that most distinctive and noblest faculty of man, 
the bright emanation of Infinite Intelligence, does not appear 
to prevail to an equal degree in every human mind. We are 
not all legislators, not all philosophers, not all historians, not 
all poets, not all men of science, not all familiar with the arts; 
but we all possess the principles of the various faculties by 
which man is elevated in the scale of being. We have not 
all the same quickness of perception, the same sensation 
and refection, the same power of association, the same 
memory, the same inventive imagination, the same power 
of judgment; but we all possess, in a degree, all these 



22 

faculties. Some few individuals, however, are so greatly 
and especialb/ gifted with m,any of these faculties, that 
lohaiever matter is submitted to the crucible cf their mindf 
the precious is at once separated from the vile, the gold from 
the alloy ^ which is produced pure and unadulterated, indelibly 
impressed with the clear image of truth, and bearing the 
bright superscription of pre-eminent mental greatness. 

We should rejoice, however, in the consciousness that we 
are men, and remain satisfied with the mental pov/ers we 
possess; for, though varying in character as do the counte- 
nances of our kind, they may be made conducive to our own 
and the public good. 

By diligence in the proper cultivation of these faculties, 
they will strengthen and expand their various powers,, and 
thereby enable each of us to contribute our portion of intel- 
lectual wealth to the general fund of knowledge, 

" The first man was of the earth;" and we, his descendants, 
are formed and constantly sustained by partaking of its pro- 
ductions, which, by a hidden and curious process, are assimi- 
lated with, build up, and support our system; they are, 
therefore, essential to our present mode of existence. The 
mind, that emanation of the Deity, distinguishes man as the 
vicegerent of his Maker: sustaining that character and rela- 
tion, the works and ways of our Creator command our 
attention. A certain portion of such knowledge is to us 
indispensable; and the larger portion of such knowledge that 
we attain, so much the better qualified, it would appear, we 
should be faithfully to discharge an authority, dominion, and 
trust so highly delegated. The more we apply ourselves to 
search them, the stronger and brighter to our minds will be 
the glorious manifestations of the attributes of the First 
Great Cause, until, in the intensity of contemplation, "lan- 
guage is lost" in wonder and adoration ! 

The soul, a spark of all-creating and unbounded intelli- 
gence, existing 

" Wlien rclliiig ye£,rs shall cease to move," 



23 

must proceed in the attainment of a knowledge of the works 
and ways of its ever-existent Creator in eternal ages. Nearly 
two hundred generations of our kind have, agreeably to the 
accepted computation, been brought into being, and renioved 
from this state of finite existence; yet how little is really 
known of the works of that hand 

*' That, ever busy, wheels the silent spheres," 
and " works in the secret deep!" Must we not conclude, 
therefore, that eternity only can suffice to investigate eternal 
wonders! 

We are compelled here humbly to own " we know but in 
part;" but although an impenetrable veil appears cast over 
some of the avenues of knowledge, yet it is our high privi- 
lege, our duty, and our interest to use all the means within 
our reach for its acquisition: 

" Till God's own voice shall bid the curtain rise, 
And all earth's wonders open to our eyes." 



CONSTITUTION 

OF THE 

ANACOSTIA LYCEUM. 



PREAMBLE. 



We the subscribers, inhabitants of the city of Washington, 
believing it a duty incumbent upon every man to improve 
those reasoning faculties bestowed upon him by his beneficent 
Creator for the noblest purposes ; and believing that a well 
regulated Debating Society is calculated to further that de- 
sirable object, do hereby form ourselves into such society 
for that purpose, and pledge ourselves to support the following 
Constitution : 

ARTICLE I. 

This society shall be known and distinguished by the name 
of the Anacostia Lyceum. 

ARTICLE II. 

There shall be a President and two Vice Presidents chosen 
semi-annually, by ballot, who shall preside according to seni- 
ority at all meetings of the society, when ordinary busmess 
is under consideration. 

ARTICLE III. 

A Moderator shall be appointed for each question, whose 
duty it shall be to preside during the discussion of said ques- 
tion, to preserve order; and at the close of the debate he shall 
have the privilege of expressing his opinion on the merits of 
the question, and then collect the opinion of the society, and 
announce the decision. 

ARTICLE IV. 

There shall be a Secretary chosen semi-annually, (as the 
President,) whose duty it shall be to keep a regular record of 
the proceedings of this society. 



OK 



ARTICLE V. 

There shall bo a Treasurer chosen semi-annuallvj (as the 
President,) whose duty it shall be to collect and receive the 
funds of this society, disburse the same upon the order of a 
majority of members present, when countersigned by the 
President and Secretary, and make to the society monthly 
exhibits of his receipts and expenditures. 

ARTICLE VI. 

Every person desirous of becoming a member of this 
society shall be nominated by a member, which nomination 
shall lay over until the next regular meeting of the society, 
when he shall be balloted for, and if two thirds of the number 
present be in his favor he shall be accepted, and pay for the 
use of this society the sum of twenty-five cents monthly, un- 
less the whole or any part thereof shall be remitted by a vote 
of two thirds of the members present at the meeting. 

ARTICLE VII. 

Ten members of this society shall constitute a quorum for 
doing business. 

ARTICLE VIII. 

No member shall make any noise, or disturb the meeting, 
or interrupt another while speaking, (except for explanation,,) 
or use any profane or indecent language in debate, or mak-e 
use of expressions knowingly to wound the feelings of an- 
other, or shall question any member in any other place for 
language used in debate, under penalty of reprimand or ex- 
pulsion, as two-thirds of the members present may deem 
proper to inflict. 

ARTICLE IX. 

No subject of religious tenets or party politics shall be 
debated in this society. 

ARTICLE X. 

There shall be held a regular meeting of this society once 
in each week, at one hour and a-half after sunset, 

ARTICLE XI. 

Whatever may be said by any member upon any subject 
for debate, at any stated meeting, shall be considered the pri- 
vate property of the society ; and any member exposing the 
errors, or in any way ridiculing, after the '.-neeting has ad- 
journed, what may have been said by any member during 
debate, (except to the member privately,) shall be considered 



26 



as guilty of a high breach of confidence, and subject to expul- 
sion from the society, or any other punishment the society 
may deem proper and expedient. 

ARTICLE XII. 

The anniversary meeting of this society shall be hsld on 
the evening of the 22d of February of each year; and the 
semi-annual meetings upon the first Tuesday of February 
and the first Tuesday of August in each year. 

ARTICLE XIII. 

This constitution may be amended by giving noiice in 
writing one month previous, and two-thirds of the members 
present concurring in such amendment. 



OFnCERS AND MEMBERS OP THE SoCIETY. 



CLEMENT T. COOTE, - 
PETER M. PEARSON, - 
RICHARD BARRY, - - 
CHARLES F. ELLIS, - 
JOHN L. CLUBB, - - - 
J. L. HENSHAW, - - - 

WM. SPEIDEN, 

THOS. THORNLY, 

WM. LENOX, 

J. W. FURGUSON, 

WM. M. ELLIS, 

BERNARD O'DONNEL, 

WM. R. TAIT, 

WM. E. HOWARD, 

WM. E. CLARK, 

DAVID BARRY, 

J AS. MARSHALL, 

ROBT. COMBES, 

WM. BLAND, 



President. 

First Vice President, 

Second Fice President. 

Treasurer. 

Secretary. 

Librarian. 
J. G. CASSIDY, 
C. G. BESTOR, 
JOSEPH WHITE, 
JOHN G. YOUNG, 
JAMES A. TAiT, 
GEORGE DOVE, 
J. L. MADDOX, 
JOHN TUCKER, 
WM. D. ACKEN, 
EDWARD SIMMS, 
ROBT. BARRY, 
JAS. G. COMBE, 
ALFRED HUME. 



REGULATIONS OF THE LIBRARY. 



ARTICLE I. 



Section 1st. The Library shall be divided into shares, the 
right of property in vi^hich shall be transferable, with the 
approbation of the societyj the value of which shall be paid 



27 

in monthly instalments of twenty-five cents each; and each 
and every year's subscription shall constitute a share. 

Section 2d. Members shall not be entitled to the use of 
books, if at any time in debt the amount of three months' dues. 

Section 3d. Proxies of members. 

ARTICLE II. 

Section 1st. There shall be a Library Committee, consisting 
of five, who shall be chosen semi-annually, by ballotj a majo- 
rity of all the votes present necessary for a choice. 

Section 2d. It shall be their duty to hold monthly meet- 
ings; to report their proceedings quarterly to this society; to 
record, for the future use of the library, such facts and obser- 
vations relevant thereto as they may deem of consequence; to 
subscribe for, purchase, and receive such donations and loans 
of books as they may deem best calculated to enhance the in- 
terest of the library; and they shall draw on the Treasurer 
for the funds necessary for that purpose. 

Section 3d. They shall fill up all vacancies that may occur 
in their number during the half year for which they are elected; 
make such by-laws for their own regulation, and establish 
such rules and regulations for the government of this society, 
not inconsistent with this plan, as they may deem expedient. 

Section 4th. They shall not establish a reading room, but 
shall, under such regulations as they may deem best, permit 
members to take books from the library to their places of 
abode; and they shall be liable to removal from office on a 
vote of two-thirds of the members present. 

ARTICLE IIL 

Section 1st. There shall be a Librarian chosen semi-annual- 
ly, in the same manner as the Library Committee, whose duty 
it shall be to attend at the Library at such time as may be 
fixed on by the Library Committee, for the delivery of books 
to, and receiving the same from members; of which books he 
shall keep a register, showing the exact time when the same 
were taken from the library, and when returned. 

Section 2d. He shall keep a separate account of all donations 
and loans of books made by individuals, showing the names of 
donors and lenders, and titles of books, respectively, and re- 
port the same monthly to the Library Committee. 

Section 3d. He shall keep a list of stockholders, with the 
number of their shares respectively, and issue certificates 
thereof when requested. 

Section 4th. In case of a vacancy occurring in the office of 
Librarian, the Library Committee shall fill it up in the same 



£3 

manner and for the same time as provided for in cas^ cf va- 
cancias occurring in their own number. 

ARTICLE IV. 

Section 1st. Members detaining books longer than the time 
prescribed by the Library Committee, injuring, or otherwise 
abusing them, shall be subject to a fine of not less than five 
cents, nor more than the value of the book or sets of books 
injured, as the Library Committee shall decide on. 

Section 2d. Members refusing to pay such fine as is fixed 
on by the committee shall forfeit their right and interest in 
the Library, on the concurrence of two-thirds of all the votes 
given at a meeting of this society; provided notice, in writing, 
be given such oflender or offenders, one week previous to sen- 
tence being passed. 

ARTICLE V. 

Section 1st. In the event of the dissolution of this society, 
the officers of this society, including the Library Committee 
and Librarian, shall deliver over all books and property then 
in their charge, belonging to this society, to three disinte- 
rested persons, as arbitrators, who shall be chosen by ballot: 
necessary to a choice, a majority of all the votes given. 

Section 2d. Proxies to be admitted to vote for arbitrators; 
none but shareholders to vote for arbitrators. 

Section 3d. Arbitrators thus chosen shall then distribute 
amidst holders of a share or shares, all such books and other 
property as is thus placed in their hands for distribution, by 
and belonging to the society, in an equal ratio, as near as pos- 
sible, agreeably to the number of shares held by each respect- 
ively. 

ARTICLE VI. 

Section 1st. Holders of shares^ in the event of a dissolution 
of this society, not claiming, in person or in writing, their 
share or shares, shall forfeit all right in the same; provided 
notice be given of such dissolution and intended distribution, 
in one of the newspapers published in Washington city, three 
times, one month previous to such distribution taking place. 

Section 2d. Persons loaning books for the use of this soci- 
ety shall be at liberty to withdraw them at pleasure. 

Committee on the Library. 

J. L. HENSHAW, Librarian. J. G. CASSIDY, 
WM. SPEIDEN, C. G. BESTOR, and 

THOS. THORNLY, WM. LENOX. 



DO 





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